Fire Causes Crisis For East Windsor Aide

EAST WINDSOR — Most days, the police scanner is just background noise in the office of the first selectman, where Becky MacDonald holds sway.

But Tuesday morning, her attention was diverted from the budget and the multitude of other tasks she oversees as First Selectman John Rajala's administrative assistant.

The scanner announced a fire at 154 East Road -- where MacDonald's grandchildren live with their parents, John and Mychelle McGrath.

MacDonald left the office immediately, and in her haste, narrowly avoided unwelcome attention from a police officer. She arrived at the house just as the first firetruck did, and learned immediately that no one had been hurt.

She watched as firefighters from Broad Brook, Ellington, and Warehouse Point poured water onto the blaze and threw her grandchildren's possessions out the windows.

The fire was not allowed to spread from the second floor, and caused no structural damage, building official Michael Agnew said. The windows were broken for ventilation, and there was damage from smoke and heat, said Fire Marshal Blaine Simpkins.

The sight moved MacDonald to tears of relief that the fire had occurred during the day and that none of the children had been in bed sick when the fire began.

``I thought of what could have been,'' she said. ``If it was nighttime.''

The fire was caused by a faulty transformer, used to power a keyboard instrument. The bedclothes in Irene McGrath's bedroom caught fire first. The fire generated enough heat to melt a thermostat on a hallway wall.

``What saved the house was the double Sheetrock in the ceiling,'' said Simpkins. ``Otherwise, [the fire] would have broken through, and they would have lost the second floor and the attic.''

The bed that 11-year-old Irene had carefully made with the puppy-dog sheets before leaving for school was completely destroyed. Most of her clothes and her other possessions were damaged or ruined by smoke.

Mychelle McGrath said she had returned to the house after her school bus route, and smelled smoke while she was washing dishes. She called the fire department about 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday afternoon, Irene, her cheeks smudged with soot, recounted her losses. The worst was her favorite toy, an electric keyboard, now warped and melted.

A 2-foot-tall, old-fashioned bride doll, and her stuffed animal collection, including a huge bear and a whale that stretched the length of her bed, were also lost. ``My favorite was my bunny,'' she said.

With the electricity off, the house was dark and chilly, and the children wore jackets.

Mychelle McGrath reminded Irene that the family was safe, and everything could be replaced.

As electricians surveyed the damage, the family, including 9-year-old Dan McGrath and 12-year-old John Jr., put clothes into plastic garbage bags. They planned to spend the night at a hotel, where the boys hoped to find a swimming pool.

At the same time, at the selectman's office, MacDonald refused to leave her post, saying she had to prepare for an evening budget meeting.